Troopers Charge Man in Alleged Theft from Casino
KING OF PRUSSIA PA – A 25-year-old Bethlehem man has been arrested and charged with theft by deception for allegedly cheating while gambling at the Valley Forge Casino Resort, 1160 First Ave., Pennsylvania State Police reported Wednesday (March 15, 2023).
Troopers claimed the man engaged in bet capping a total of eight times during 2 hours and 44 minutes while playing three-card poker on the casino floor. Based at the Troop K Barracks in Skippack, the troopers were on duty at the casino on behalf of the state Bureau of Gaming Enforcement.
Bet capping is a practice in which money is added to a winning bet “in an illegal way after the wager has already been won,” according to the Bob Casino website glossary. It usually occurs when a dealer is distracted, and more gambling chips than were originally offered are inserted to a successful bet, it stated.
“Such illegal actions are easily detected with modern video surveillance techniques,” the website noted.
Troopers did not indicate how they discovered the alleged acts, which occurred Feb. 25 (Saturday) between 7:26 p.m. and 10:14 p.m. The total loss to the casino was $155, they said. Charges against the Bethlehem man were filed with the magisterial district court in Bridgeport.
New Jersey man victim of alleged theft
Also Wednesday, in a separate and unrelated incident, troopers said they investigated the alleged theft of lost or mislaid property in which a 46-year-old New Jersey man was a victim.
Troopers at the casino said they were contacted about a casino voucher, the value of which was not included in their report, that was “unknowingly dropped” by the man on the casino floor. A suspect, who was not identified, “then picked up the voucher and left the property.”
The report did not specify if troopers if an arrest had been made. The incident occurred Feb. 26 (Sunday) at 4:03 a.m., they said.
Photo by Kate Novikova on Deposit Photos, used under license
